Recent Articles

In our "Getting the Shot" series, photographers explain the untold stories behind some of their most inspiring images. This week we're getting the full story behind Peter Truskinger's "Sunset In The Dome" shot:

Peter, tell us about this incredible capture

For me this shot was interesting to shoot due to several factors; where I was, the history of where I was, the speed at which the sun was setting and how I couldcapture what I had envisaged in my head."Sunset In The Dome," was shot in the glass reproduction of the original Reichstag Dome atop the Reichstag. The Dome was a place where the parliament made many important decisions, and when the evil Nazi dictator rose to power he made world altering decisions here. I knew I had to try and capture as much as possible in this one photo. Starting with the history of horror, represented by the "ghostly" figures in the photo, I knew I needed a slow shutter speed. At the same time I wanted to try and show that there were many people coming together to learn from the past (as the reflections of the people in the mirrors show), to see the gravity of the actions of one man and his hatred (passed on to his followers and armies) and so I had to make sure that the people were close to and looking at the information boards. Then finally, I wanted to... no I NEEDED to capture the beauty of hope, that even though there was bad in the day or years prior there will always be something beautiful and better. This came in form of the sunset.Adjusting with the flocks of people moving in and around the Dome, as well as battling the speedily setting sun was a fun challenge. I useda 10 stop B+W Neutral Density Filter and an Ultra Wide Angle Lens (Tokina 11-16), as this combination allowed me to encompass all that I wanted in the scene as well as giving the "ghostly" appearance of the people. I ended up shooting with a 94 second exposure at f/11 to get maximum depth of field and a lovely star-burst effect from the setting sun.

All in all it was a beautiful, yet heavy place to visit. Beautiful to see everyone coming together to learn and to see the lovely sunset andheavy because of the horrible atrocities that were decided here due to the actions of a hateful disgusting man.

This is "Sunset in the Dome."

To see the Anvil series photo backpack that Peter uses as he travels the world, click here